The Lovely Tales Collection
by HowDoYouDoop
Summary: A series of drabbles detailing the snuggly domestic life of Sasuke, Naruto and their daughter, Natsuki.
1. Chapter 1

_AN: This is a drabble collection that La Vita a Colori and I worked on a while ago. We lovingly dubbed it the Raburi-verse for it is our own little universe full of lovely and silly but you can call it The Lovely Tales Collection. __Its a spinoff-like series from a Hinata centric fic, 'The Wind' (written by me) although this one revolves around Sasuke, Naruto and their daughter, Natsuki. It is pretty much self contained so it's not__ necessary to read 'The Wind' to get whats going on here, its mostly just simple little things of love)._

_So yeah, here you will find fuwa fuwa Natsuki drabbles, snippets of Sasuke and Naruto's highschool lives- 'The Early Years' and raburi stuffs in general :) Nothing too serious, just lotsa fluff_!

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><p><strong>Lovely #1<strong>

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In their small kitchen Naruto stood, canary yellow apron tied at his waist, sleeves rolled up to his elbows, cooking chopsticks in one hand. The wordless tune he was humming to himself came to a questioning stop as he looked up to find his daughter in the doorway, sleepy and messy in the octopus onesie she had insisted on sleeping in.

"Natsuki, you're up early. Did Papa wake you with the shower?" The blond smiled at the tiny girl standing rubbing her eyes. She yawned widely and tottered over to stand next to Naruto.

"Showers are loud, Daddy," she told him, mumbling. Naruto chuckled and quickly finished placing the rest of the food into the bento he was making before heaving Natsuki onto the counter with one arm so she could see.

"Hm, I've gotten pretty good at this, haven't I," Naruto said cheerfully, brushing baby curls off of Natsuki's forehead as she nodded dutifully in agreement. "Now I just need to…" The man cast around for a pen as he pulled a piece of notepad toward him.

A few quiet moments passed as Naruto carefully wrote in his neatest handwriting with Natuski watching.

"I made you lunch, have a good day, Papa. Love, Daddy," Naruto read aloud and signed it with a heart. Beside him Natsuki cocked her head.

"Wassat?" Naruto blinked. Was there a character she wanted to know how to read? His eyes wandered the note until they rested on the slightly misshapen heart.

"This?" he asked, pointing to it. The child nodded. Naruto smiled fondly and lowered himself to lean on his arms on the counter.

"It's a heart Natsuki, you use it when you want to tell someone you love them."

"And you love Papa?"

"Of course. Even if Papa is sometimes grumpy and—"

"Ehem." Sasuke's deep voice sounded from the door where he was standing, showered and suited. Naruto smiled guiltily and fixed the note and lid of the bento.

"Mornin'."

"Morning Papa, Daddy made you lunch!" Natsuki bounced up and down in her seat on the counter and Sasuke came forward to steady her, hands skimming up her chubby arms. Eyes on the bento box, he smiled and lifted his gaze to Naruto. Natsuki was burbling incomprehensively (something Sasuke always insisted she'd picked up from her Dobe Daddy) in between them.

"Good morning, Princess," Sasuke murmured lowly with a curvy smile, eyes on Naruto.

"Princess! Princess Natsuki!" cried Natsuki as her blond father flushed.

"Don't look at me when you say that, Teme," scowled Naruto, pushing the lunch box at the raven.

"Don't teach my daughter bad language," teased Sasuke taking the lunch in his hands with a slow grace.

One moment with eyes locked over the head of the small girl and then Sasuke was turning to the front door.

"Ittekimasu."

"Itterashai!"

Both man and girl watched the door click shut.

"Right!" said Naruto after a moment, reaching to plop Natsuki back on the ground. "You go play before you're off to see Hinata sensei!"

"Yay!"

When Naruto came home later that day, arms laden with the week's groceries and grumbling about why he shouldn't have to do the groceries every second week when Sasuke only made fun of what he bought, he found the house quiet.

A quick glance at the ramen faced clock he'd had since highschool told him that Sasuke and Natsuki should be home but there was no high pitched squealing or low encouraging laughter. As he wandered into the lounge he stopped dead in his tracks at the scene before him.

At the small plastic table they had for Natsuki, lay Sasuke, draped long and far too big over page upon page of what Naruto could only call squashed meat buns even though it was apparent what the child had been trying to accomplish. Sasuke was asleep.

On the raven man's knee, curled up with a black marker clutched in her pudgy hand and head rested at an awkward angle was Natsuki.

And on Sasuke's smooth cheek, bold against his pale skin, was a heart. Wobbly and still slightly deformed; a gift from a daughter to her father, presented as he slept.

Naruto bit his lip against any noise he cared to make and then backed slowly and silently out of the room, hands already outstretched in search of the camera.


	2. Chapter 2

_Chapters will probably be released weekly from now on~ :)_

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><p><strong>Lovely #2<strong>

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AW, SHIT!" Naruto pulled his hand back quickly, sticking his finger in his mouth while the other hand turned down the heat of the stove top, bringing the broth down to a boil.

"Language, Naru," called the low tenor, right before Natsuki came flying through the door, model airplane in one hand and sputtering engine failures into the afternoon light. She was soon followed by her Papa, arms crossing as he leaned against the door jamb. Eyes scanning the little curly head as their baby did nose dives around the kitchen table.

"You know, if I can hear you, that means she can to." He nudged a head thoughtfully at the little ball of energy that had taken to running back out of the room the way she came in.

Naruto's eyes narrowed slightly as his finger retracted with a sound _pop_.

"I _know_. But that really hurt." He sniffed the air as he turned back around to tend to their hot pot. "You try catching yourself on fire once in a while..."

A soft sigh and then sinewy arms came to cage the blond from behind, pale hands gripping lightly to the counter as Sasuke's breath fanned out over the other's neck. Arrogantly, Naruto continued his ministrations until those wicked hands decided to travel up the lengths of his arms, reaching around to stroke back down his chest.

A kiss at his neck.

"The thing is..."

Soft mumbling accompanied by a slight nip and Naruto had to balance himself against the counter.

"...I'm careful enough not to burn myself..."

A sharp shiver ran the length of the blond's spine even as he growled lowly in warning, Sasuke's entire length pressing against him, those devilish arms now wrapped snuggly around his torso before Sasuke halted all actions, grinning lips pressed right up against Naruto's ear.

"...Moron."

Naruto's eyes snapped open and he was about to give the other a piece of his mind when a sharp "_Oi!_" came from the doorway, and both startled away from each other.

Naruto blinked with owlish eyes as he watched Natsuki, arms crossed and scowl apparent, march right up to Sasuke and beckon him down with a finger. Glancing quickly to Naruto in question, he followed his daughter's orders.

Once down on his knees, Natsuki gripped both his cheeks in her pudgy hands and, pausing only a moment, knocked her forehead light against Sasuke's. Nodding to herself triumphantly, she wagged her finger at her papa as he reached inquisitive fingers up to rub at his head.

"Bad words get smacks!" Next, she pointed at Naruto's finger. "Boo-boos get kisses."

It took only a moment for Sasuke to glance over at Naruto before he took the blond's hand in his own, adjusting himself on his knees, and pressed a light kiss against the tender finger.

A smug little grin exploded on Natsuki's face before she nodded and once again took flight from the room.

They stayed in silence for a moment, staring down at the spot where their daughter had been before smiling towards each other. It only took a moment for Naruto to break out in giggles.


	3. Chapter 3

**Lovely #3**

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The fist to the stomach might not have been the most pleasant way to wake up, but the way Sasuke's blond angel spread his body haphazardly across their queen sized bed called to mind the fading images of Sasuke's rather entertaining dream.

Biting his lip to stifle a groan, Sasuke rolled to lay half across Naruto's abdomen, one leg spreading the blond's at the knees as he leaned down to pepper soft kisses along the tanned column of Naruto's neck. He smirked against the hot skin when he felt Naruto automatically stretch his neck out to allow the raven more access. It seemed even in his sleep, Sasuke's boyfriend was still a lush.

But as he pulled back to admired the madly darkening hickey now singed onto Naruto's skin, Sasuke found he didn't mind at all.

The blond groaned out his dazed pleasure as Sasuke continued to mark and play, pulling up Naruto's shirt to nip and lave across dusky nipples standing at attention, just as hard as the bulge now pulsing against Sasuke's chest.

His tongue dipped down to swirl against the blond's happy trail and Naruto let out a soft keening noise into the morning air, hips jerking slightly as Sasuke smiled against the his hip.

If he could make Naruto cum before he woke up, Sasuke would have masturbation material til he died.

Shuddering a groan and pulling slowly at the edge of Naruto's underwear, Sasuke suddenly stopped at the squeak of a door opening to his right.

Tongue still glued to the blond's abdomen, Sasuke's eyes trailed over to see Natsuki standing all moony eyed and sleepy in the doorway as she took in the odd positions her dads were in.

Blinking once, twice, she tilted her cute head to the side. "Papa, what are you doing to Daddy?"

Quick as a snapping rubber band, Sasuke jolted upright on the bed, eyes wide and hands moving to cover up his rapidly deflating erection as he stared back at his innocent little girl.

For a moment, Sasuke was left stupefied, but he quickly gathered himself.

"I wanted to see if he tasted like ramen," he spoke quickly, nearly wincing at the lame excuse. "There's a saying. '_You are what you eat'._ Your daddy eats a lot of ramen and.. I ... uh. It might be true."

Another minute passed as Natsuki, slowly waking, tilted her head to the other side and stuck her bottom lip out in a little pout (which Sasuke had come to know as her "thinking" face) before she let out a small eureka of "Ah!"

"So, does daddy taste like ramen?" she questioned.

Sasuke started dumbfounded for a second. "Um. No. No, he doesn't taste like ramen."

She stood for a moment longer, looking over towards her daddy for a moment longer before she turned back to her papa. "Ok. I'm going to go watch tv now." And with that, she turned around and went the way she'd come in, the door swinging shut with a soft _click_.

Sasuke, thoroughly unaroused by Natsuki's sudden entrance, buckled down over Naruto and heaved a mighty groan, burying his blushing cheeks into his lover's toned stomach.

A soft chuckle caused him to still.

"I _don't_ taste like ramen..?" Came the sleepy intonation and Sasuke looked up to see Naruto's lidded eyes focused down on him.

Sasuke could feel his cheeks flushing again and dug his chin into the tanned flesh. "Oh, shut it. You try thinking of an excuse so early in the morning."

"Well, that would only work if it really were that early in the morning, but as it stands," Naruto looked pointedly at the clock on the bed table, "It's 11:00AM and you're late for work."

The sound of Sasuke's neck snapping to the clock made Naruto wince and it only took a second of looking into Sasuke's terror-stricken face for the raven to be up and racing from the bathroom to the closet and back out, pulling his shirt on haphazardly as he whipped a comb through his hair.

"Shit, shit, shit! Why didn't you TELL me?" He flared at Naruto, eyebrow twitching in that special way it did when he was stressed and Naruto only folded his arms behind his head, somehow still feeling turned on at the sight of Sasuke's flushed and angry face.

A lecherous grin stole over his own face. "Oh, but you looked like you were _so _enjoying yourself... How could I tell you to stop, ne?"

As quick as it'd left his mouth, a half dressed Sasuke was upon him with an _oomph!_, eyes narrowed in a feral manner as the raven growled before slamming his lips onto Naruto's in a hot and hard kiss. Tongues mashing together only long enough to let Naruto groan into the open air, Sasuke had pulled back. He looked like a quintessential big cat standing over its prey as he leaned down to bite into Naruto's plump lip in a promise.

"When I get back, your ass is mine."

With that and another quick kiss, Sasuke was gone, one sock dangling from his foot.

Hearing the front door slam and a call of, "Bye, Papa!" Naruto touched two fingers to his lips and smiled, muttering a, "I can't even wait," into the mid-morning air.


	4. Chapter 4

**Lovely #4**

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Admittedly, the fight had been his fault. It had been over something so stupid but Naruto just _had _to push it, didn't he?

But storming out of the bedroom and through the front door in a fit of silent rage had been Sasuke's choice. In front of his _daughter_ who'd called "Papa, what doing?", he'd left the house wearing that awful face. Instead of staying like he should have, he'd thrown open the door and let Natsuki see them fight. Let her see Naruto left standing in the door way, tear stricken face and flushed angry cheeks. Let her watch her Daddy avoid her confused gaze and slam the bedroom door closed again with a loud exclamation of "FUCK!"

Sasuke had chosen all that and Naruto was certain it had upset their daughter. But what pained him more than what had happened between him and Sasuke was what they had let Natsuki witness; was the fact that he was still too upset to go out and say he was okay. He just lay face down on the bed, still half dressed and with no intention of taking Natsuki to kindergarten any time soon. The sun coming through the open curtains was warm on his back but its heavy touch did nothing for the blond. Dry tears made his eyes itch but he continued to lie, eyes closed, one arm dangling off the side of the bed, fingers dipped into the folds of Sasuke's sweat pants that lay on the floor.

It was normal to fight, right? Even over small things? They'd been doing it since high school afterall, even before they got together. But arguments on the pitching mound during baseball practice or tiffs in the hallways never felt the same as screaming matches…

Naruto's limp fingers twitched at the soft tapping on his door.

"Daddy? Can Natsuki come in?" The blond tried to find the energy to smile at the way his daughter's muffled voice addressed herself in third person. Like if he said no it would be like he was denying someone else. For a moment he considered saying no, not wanting his little girl to see him like this but the image of Natsuki still in her pajamas and bare feet, soft curls a mess around her nervous baby features was too much to deny. He made a loud non-descript noise that Natsuki took as permission.

The door opened with a long anxious whine and Naruto turned his face into the pillows, not as brave as he thought he was after catching a glimpse of the girl exactly how he'd pictured her; blue-green blend eyes wide and jumpy. In one hand she held a small something Naruto didn't quite have time to identify and a toy gun in the other.

The only sound was the quiet footfalls of Natsuki approaching the bed quietly and leaning on the side so that it creaked, the way she often did in the middle of the night to wake the light sleeping Sasuke when she wanted to get in with them. Naruto didn't respond but felt the child venture forward, her small hands on his back and then the light weight of her body as she pulled herself up to sit on top of him. The plastic of the toy gun was cool on his skin as she set it down between Naruto's shoulder blades.

A gently humming weaved into the silence, a tune Naruto knew but couldn't place and there was the sound of fumbling with a lid of some kind before the blond felt the hard edges of something round push down firm on his skin. He made a noise of surprised inquiry but Natsuki didn't reply. It was only when she pressed the circle to his shoulder that the smell of ink reached his nose and he realized she was stamping his bare back with the happy face stamp she'd gotten for her birthday. Naruto smiled into his pillow and relaxed into the therapy, momentarily forgetting his troubles as the girl hummed and stained stamped him blue.

When Natsuki had worked her way half way down Naruto's calves, exposed by the shorts he'd intended to wear today, the front door opened and someone sounded their shoes as they removed them in the entry.

"Papa…" whispered Natsuki and Naruto tensed. The plastic gun slid along his skin as the girl quickly retrieved it.

The turn of the bedroom door handle and then:

"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bad guys can't come in!" Naruto lifted his head to find Natsuki sitting on his thighs and pointing her gun at Sasuke who stood in the doorway. The other man was wearing his dress pants and the shirt he'd slept in under his blazer. His hair was all over the place and his skin looked a little grey.

"Hands up!" Natsuki demanded and Sasuke slowly lifted them, his eyes catching with Naruto's briefly then taking in his boyfriend's inky skin before focusing back on his daughter.

"Papa is a bad guy!"

Sasuke's features contorted slightly and for a second Naruto felt bad for him. Being called a bad guy by your little girl.

"Natsuki, Daddy and I-" Sasuke began to try and coax Natsuki out of the room but Natuski wasn't having it.

"Say you're sorry to Daddy!"

"Natsuki, we-"

"Say sorry!" From the helpless look on Sasuke's face Naruto could tell Natsuki's expression was stubborn and deathly serious.

"I'm sorry," said Sasuke finally but it still wasn't enough.

"Say it to Daddy properly!" Natsuki ordered, jerking the gun at Naruto who had to pull his head back to avoid being hit in the nose by the weapon. Again their eyes met. Naruto broke away first and heard Sasuke ask, "May I move, Ma'am?" and felt Natsuki nod.

Naruto lay his head back down on the pillows and watched Sasuke's long legs come into his vision. And then his torso and then his face. The raven knelt at the side of the bed and Natsuki jumped up, stumbling across the thick duvet to keep a close eye on Sasuke, gun at the ready. For a while the two men simply watched each other; Sasuke's expression pained and awkward, Naruto's hard and guarded.

"You shouldn't have walked out," murmured Naruto lowly. Sasuke opened his mouth to speak but before he had time to answer, Natsuki was prompting him for an apology again. A smile tugged at both men's lips and Sasuke lifted his hand to lay it on Naruto's cheek as he chuckled softly. Despite himself, the blond found himself closing his eyes and sighing as Sasuke stroked his skin.

"Sorry, Daddy," he said obediently and leaned to place a light kiss above Naruto's eyebrow.

"It's okay. I was wrong."

The raven hummed in reply. Naruto shuffled over and let Sasuke sit on the edge of the bed.

"All better!" yelled Natsuki and jumped off the bed making the couple jump, stamp in her pudgy hand. In a flurry of accomplished grins and bouncing curls, she'd taken each of her fathers' hands one by one and stamped a cheerful blue happy face.

"No more bad guys," she called before prancing out to play. Naruto and Sasuke watched her go.

"She's really something, huh?"

"Yup, she really is."


	5. Chapter 5

_short one this week :)_

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><p><strong>Lovely #5<strong>

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Sasuke was instantly on the alert as a soft sniffle drew his gaze further past the entryway. Instead of pulling off his shoes neatly as he normally would, he walked straight down the hallway towards their small kitchenette and almost ran straight into his blubbering daughter. Quickly gathering her up into his arms, the little girl cried and wailed into the crook of his neck as he cuddled her, pressing soothing kisses to her temple and speaking softly in her ear until her cries were only small whimpers. Hearing someone moving around in the kitchen, Sasuke was focused once again, cradling his treasure to his chest as he stalked quietly towards the kitchen door. Taking a slow breath, he shoved inward with his arm out in a fighting pose, daughter hitched onto one hip. He was completely ready to fend off attackers with only one arm. Completely.

Instead, his kitchen looked completely normal, dishes put out and pot of hot soup steaming on the stovetop. His eyes instantly went to the other man in the room. Naruto had his back turned to them, but Sasuke could see his shoulders were shaking slightly. Discerning that something must have happened between the two loves of his life, he called out softly, "Naruto?" The blond paused for only a moment before turning around to face his boyfriend, and Sasuke's face instantly fell flat at the sight.

"I-it STINGS." Naruto cried, snot and tears trailing down his face as he held a knife in one hand and a large onion in the other. He looked absolutely pathetic in his little canary apron.

"Sasukeeeeeeee... It stttiiinngggssss!" And with that, Sasuke suddenly had two armfuls of very snotty, very blubbery people and he sighed quietly out into the open air as a small smile cracked on his face.


	6. Chapter 6

**Lovely #6**

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"I want to doggie pile."

Sasuke tilted the corner of his paper down, eyeing the little sandy pip squeak who stood looking at him with wide moony eyes over the arm of the couch.

"I want to doggie pile," she repeated, and Sasuke's narrowed his eyes as this time she cocked the corner of her mouth up into a wicked grin.

"Natsu- GUH!"

He couldn't even get out her name as he was brutally tackled from over the back of the couch, landing face first on the plush carpet and feeling his arm crunch at an awkward angle against the corner of the kotatsu as a familiar body pressed down on top of him, aligning them perfectly and he could practically FEEL the shit eating grin the other wore.

"You deaf, Papa? She said she wants to doggie pile." Naruto's voice was close to his ear and Sasuke felt his traitorous body shudder as the blond snuggled his head into the crook of his neck.

He tilted his head, preparing for a verbal assault as the other wiggled on top of him, letting out a growl before with a whoop and a "YOSH!", another weight was suddenly plopped on top of both of them.

Naruto even stilled a moment before he adjusted slightly, both listening to the tittering giggles from the little girl now sitting prettily atop them.

They both stayed still, listening to every whine and coo as Natsuki made herself comfortable, and soon enough she let out a small yawn.

Suddenly, terror dawned upon both fathers as they realized their baby girl had fooled them both into making a papa-bed for herself, with her pretty smile and coy eyes.

"Dobe," Sasuke whispered. "Move."

"I-" he started, shifting a little and feeling small hands clutch harder into the back of his shirt and an angry gurgle sounded out. "I.. cant."

"Oh."

"Oh," Naruto parroted.

"Oh _yes~_" Natsuki murmured, the smile in her voice taking over any thought of future kinks and sores in their bodies later on from the rigid positions they laid in, deciding that, for a while, all was okay.


	7. Chapter 7

_double post today since chapters have been a bit short :)_

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><p><strong>Lovely #7 [The Early Years]<strong>

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Mikoto had known that Uzumaki Naruto would be the one for her son since the day Sasuke had brought him home and told her, "we're dating…". She'd smiled and congratulated them while both boys looked uncomfortable and pleased at the same time.

Naruto was just so _perfect_ for Sasuke.

She'd never seen Sasuke as flustered as he was around Naruto. Not a blushing, stuttering kind of flustered. But the kind of flustered that he was when his mother teased him and he grumbled and rubbed the back of his head, delicate eyebrows pulled together in that charming, more embarrassed than angry frown of his. She'd never seen anyone except herself and Itachi get that from Sasuke.

Naruto really _got _to Sasuke and that was how she knew.

She remembered the first time Sasuke had come home after meeting Naruto. They had moved back to Konoha about a week before highschool had started and Sasuke had attended the first day. Apparently Naruto hadn't though which she had been surprised about. When she'd heard about Kushina and Minato's accident she'd also heard that their son would be staying in Konoha. She wondered if maybe he had moved away after. She'd been disappointed and continuously disappointed for the next few weeks when Sasuke failed to come home and tell her about the new friend he had made. (She'd naturally assumed they'd be friends.) Until that day.

The youngest Uchiha had stormed through the front door sporting a purpling bruise at his cheek and an angry red flush. Mikoto had quickly met him in the kitchen doorway after hearing the sound of him throwing down his bag, and drawn a long breath as her baby boy towered over her, shoulders heaving, mouth hanging open as he drew ragged breaths. He was still wearing his P.E. uniform and smelt like he hadn't bothered to shower which she found unusual.

"Sasuke, what's wrong?" Concerned eyes fixed on Sasuke's expression. The boy shut his mouth and then opened it again, his features making the face he used to show her as a child when he came home from kindy, frustrated by someone mixing paints or upset over grass stained knees and elbows.

"Sasuke?" When she called his name again he relaxed and shook his head.

"It's nothing. Just some new kid in my class. He annoyed me all day and then I turn up to try out for the baseball team and there he is. What makes it worse is that he's a pitcher and I'm catcher. We had a fight and then the coach told us to get over it …" The boy's shoulders slumped and he pinched his nose, something his father did too when he was stressed. Mikoto smiled and guided Sasuke to a chair at the table before moving back into the kitchen, speaking to her son over the counter.

"I'm sure you'll get along better once you get to know him. As I recall Sasuke, a few weeks ago you thought that Nara boy was annoying too but now you like him just fine, right?"

"Hn."

"So what's this boy's name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."

Looking back now, it was something to be laughed at, the way Sasuke, and surely Naruto, had reacted to one another. From Sasuke's afterschool tales Mikoto heard much of just how annoying Kushina's son was. But then, gradually—"He's actually a really good player. And he always stays with me if I want to practice more, which I do because he throws so damn hard. We sit together at lunch now. I'm glad Shikamaru is there too though. I don't think I could handle the Dobe on my own…"

Pet names and angry affection.

At that point, Mikoto had been hopeful and in her mind she imagined speaking to Kushina about their sons' budding relationship. She didn't dare speak to Fugaku about Sasuke's preferences. Although she'd known for a long time.

Sasuke would tell his father when he was ready.

In the early days of the boys' friendship, Naruto came to visit often. The first time Mikoto couldn't resist pouncing on him. She'd never actually seen Kushina's boy afterall. She'd made Naruto cry by mentioning his mother but even after that he'd still come back to play with Sasuke. The two practiced baseball in the Uchiha's big backyard and did homework together. Sometimes Naruto stayed for dinner when Fugaku and Itachi weren't coming home.

_"__We need to fill the table, why don't you stay, Naruto?" _

Sasuke always ate the tomatoes out of Naruto's salads; because the other boy didn't like them or because Sasuke did, Mikoto wasn't sure.

A few months after confessing their relationship before Sasuke's mother, Sasuke and Naruto approached Fugaku.

They stood and held hands and Sasuke did all the very small amount of talking. Fugaku had sat silently and Mikoto stood behind the armchair her husband was sitting in with a firm hand on his shoulder. She was sure that if she wasn't there, the head of the Uchiha house would have done a lot more than silently storm out of the room once they were done. But even that had left upset tears shivering across the bottom of Sasuke's vision. Neither Naruto nor Mikoto said anything as Sasuke stood completely still, shoulders tense and tears slipping down humiliated red cheeks. Naruto had left immediately without touching Sasuke.

In the morning at breakfast, Sasuke was a little quiet but seemed okay. He'd perked up when Naruto had come to pick him up for school. Mikoto had watched the two from the living room as they stopped at the gate.

Sasuke had his fingers at Naruto's sleeve, holding him back. And then he had looked up and down the street before tugging Naruto back to him and pressing his mouth quickly to the other's. Afterwards Sasuke asked Naruto something with a worried face and Naruto touched his cheek reassuringly.

Sasuke wouldn't let his father's disapproval keep him from what he wanted but Mikoto knew it Fugaku's reaction had still hurt.

Eventually, Uchiha Fugaku became more okay with the idea of his son's lover.

Until Sasuke had come home one evening and told them he and Naruto were adopting a child.

They had moved on from highschool and had been living together for a while, but-

"WHAT ARE YOU THINKING, SASUKE? HAVING _HIM_ AS A—AS A _LOVER_ IS BAD ENOUGH, AND NOW YOU WANT A CHILD?!"

"Sasuke, you're very young, Honey. Why on earth…"

"She's living at the hospital. She doesn't have a family. We don't have to take her home or anything yet, Iruka sensei said she can live in the infant's ward as long as we need but… We want her. Her name is Natsuki and she's ours."

Naruto hadn't said much which was common when the Uchiha head was present. He'd gone home after a little more conversation and another walk-out on Fugaku's part.

Later Mikoto had sat down with Sasuke on his bed.

"Sasuke, why would you do this… You and Naruto are… Your job is… You can't even be legally… bound…" For lack of a better word.

"Doesn't matter."

"You're still so young, you don't know that you'll stay-"

"Yes I do. And you do too. You're just agreeing with Father. You _know _that I… You know I love him, don't you?" Sasuke turned honest eyes to her and she could do nothing but sigh and run her fingers through her long, thick hair.

There was no doubt that Sasuke would be a good father; he was mature, responsible, organized and could hold his temper when he really needed to—God knew he'd had enough practice when conversing with his father. And Naruto was affectionate and warm and so full of love. But still…

Another sigh.

"Yes, I know you love him, Bub. But a _baby_?"

"Girls have babies younger than this. And Naruto and I would have kids at some point anyway…"

"Yes, but—"

They sat in silence for a while and Mikoto let her mind fill with Sasuke, a more mature Sasuke, standing with a more mature Naruto and their family. She agreed with Sasuke that he would build a life with Naruto; she'd always said Naruto was 'the one'. But right now Sasuke was still so young to her. His jaw was still a little round and his hands still a little smaller than Itachi and Fugaku's. She was so used to seeing him in a school uniform that he just didn't seem like an adult.

"It's very hard work, Sasuke," she told him.

"I know. But Iruka will be there and you know Sakura is already at the hospital too. There will be help. Also…" Again Sasuke looked to her. Mikoto could see how her son was clenching and unclenching his jaw. He looked like he was going to cry.

"… You'll be there, won't you?" he asked quietly. "To help…"

Mikoto drew a long breath and jumped slightly as Sasuke dropped his head onto her shoulder. She couldn't see his face even as she looked down but she suspected he was doing that on purpose.

"Sasuke…"

"She's really beautiful. And Naruto just looked so…"

Blurry images of Fugaku's tender, happy face as he held a pink, crying baby Itachi and then a similar baby Sasuke flashed before the woman's eyes.

"I know, Bub."

They stayed like that until Sasuke murmured he wanted to sleep.

Mikoto headed out to the kitchen. Fugaku was nowhere to be seen. When she wandered down the hall he wasn't in their room so she guessed he was in his office, not wanting to be disturbed.

The situation was a tricky one. Sasuke had shown that he wouldn't back down but Mikoto was fairly certain Fugaku was pretty set on not tolerating his youngest son and his boyfriend adopting a baby either.

As she sat at the dining room table, absently rolling a napkin into a tube, an awkward weight settled in Uchiha Mikoto's chest. She didn't exactly agree with Sasuke but she didn't really disagree with him either. She'd been asked to support her son by a Sasuke with such honest eyes that she couldn't refuse. But she knew that Fugaku would expect her to support him too.

She'd sighed heavily into the quiet evening.

_'__What a predicament. What should I do?'_

But deep down, she knew that she wouldn't be able to deny Sasuke or a baby granddaughter. And deep down, she knew that Fugaku wouldn't be able to either. They didn't even have to wait through a pregnancy to come to love this 'Natsuki'. She was sure that her husband, just as many initially opposed men before him had done, would turn to mush at the sight of maybe not his flesh and blood, but family for sure.

_'__He'll come round soon enough... He can't really do anything to stop them anyway…"_

Mikoto stood that night and closed the curtains with a hopeful smile and a strange sense that, despite the tension between father and son, despite the anxious weight in her chest, despite Fugaku fuming in his office, everything would be fine.

It'd just take a little bit of time.


	8. Chapter 8

**Lovely #8**

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He was woken by the trembling slam of their kitchen door. The raven bolted upward in bed and hand reached quickly towards their end table where he kept the baseball bat. Ready to fend off the intruders, Sasuke was unable to stop the blond ball of energy as Naruto plowed through their door before slamming himself straight into Sasuke. He was thrown back into his laying position and stared, dazed, up at Naruto who had made quick work of his own shirt and pants, growling ferally as he pulled Sasuke into quick successive kisses.

"Naru..? What the-"

"God, you look so god-damned- HOT with that sleepy look on your face."

Sasuke would have responded snappily if it weren't for the way Naruto quickly lost his boxers and began grinding down onto the other's still clothed crotch, dragging successive gasps from plush pink lips.

Feeling his body spring to life, Sasuke elbowed Naruto straight in the ribcage and immediately rolled them over so he lay spread across the flustered blond, Naruto's legs automatically coming to cradle his hips as his hands moved Sasuke's sleeping pants down his hips.

"What- ah! What about Natsuki? I mean it's al-" He was immediately shut up by a hungry mouth suckling at his bottom lip, nibbling against the tender flesh as they began a strong rocking, Naruto meeting his boyfriend thrust for thrust and feeling his already tight coil wind up. Taking a firm grip on Sasuke's cheeks, the blond pulled him back to survey his work for a moment before a sneaky grin worked across his face.

"You're taking the day off; I already called it in." Sasuke glanced towards their clock and saw that it was, in fact, mid morning.

"I already dropped Natsu off so we have all-" A nip at his chin. "-day-" Sasuke groaned into the open air between their lips. "-long." Lips plastered together they rolled and romped among the dark navy blankets, not even parting in their lust as they rolled over the side of the bed.


	9. Chapter 9

**Lovely #9**

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"Daaaaddyy."

"Yeeees?" From the lounge Naruto called back to his daughter in the kitchen. He could hear her rattling around in the fridge but had been keeping a keen ear on the noises, carefully identifying everything she was touching. They didn't really have anything dangerous in the fridge but a father could never be too careful. Sasuke had left for work about an hour ago and Natsuki had been pottering her way through all the bottom cupboards ever since bidding her Papa 'Itterashai' at the door. Fortunately all the utensils and glass vessels were higher up and out of her reach too.

There was the slosh of milk against the thick plastic of the bottle and Naruto quirked an eyebrow, wondering what Natsuki was doing playing with it. She only had milk with cereal in the mornings these days.

"Daddy," she called again, this time her voice jumpity with the bounding of her steps as she came pounding into the room, footfalls heavy and child-clumsy. She was holding a milk bottle in both small hands and trying not to trip over the extra limbs of the octopus onesie, or 'octo-suit' she was wearing.

"Daddy, what's this? It's green!" she exclaimed and Naruto bit his lip at the phrasing. The milk she was bringing to him certainly wasn't green but the bottle top, instead of the usual blue, was a bright green to match the green label. She plonked it into Naruto's lap and then clambered onto the couch to sit next to him, wide blue-green eyes looking up to him and flitting across Naruto's bright blues, waiting for an explanation. Naruto grinned at her enthusiasm.

"Daddy," Natsuki prompted and Naruto laughed lightly and swished the milk too.

"This is milk, Natsuki."

"I know Daddy! But why is it green?!" The girl pointed at the label and frowned a little, pouting at her father's insufficient and blatantly obvious answer. Naruto chuckled and turned eyes to trace the words of the milk label.

"This is special milk, Bub. You remember Iruka came to visit the other day?" Natsuki nodded generously, making serious humming noises of understanding, urging her father on. "Maa, Iruka is lactose-intolerant so he has to have this special milk."

"Eh?"

Soft baby curls caressed the girl's cheek as she tilted her head sideways and furrowed her eyebrows, making a softer, much cuter version of Sasuke's confused face.

"Wassat mean?" Taking the bottle from her daddy's hands, Natsuki frowned down at the characters she didn't understand, as if seeing the meaningless shapes would help her to comprehend. Naruto smiled and then 'hmmm'ed to himself as he tried to think of an easy way to explain 'lactose intolerant'.

"Ah- What it means is that if Iruka drinks normal milk, it makes his tummy go a bit funny. He's_ intolerant_ to the milk you like."

"Oooh…" Natsuki cooed.

Naruto sat back and stretched a long arm along the back of the couch behind his daughter's head, pleased with himself. Natsuki examined the bottle a moment longer before lifting her face to Naruto again.

"Ne, Daddy, I think I might be intolerant to Ryo in my class." Naruto spluttered a laugh and Natsuki's head snapped to glare up at him, certainly something else she'd picked up from the countless times Sasuke had done the same to Naruto when he laughed inappropriately. But Natsuki's cheeks were a lovely pink and Naruto instantly quieted his giggles and then leaned over to smother the little girl in a warm embrace, the milk bottle sliding from her hands and tumbling to the floor.

"Oooh Natsuki~ Does he make your tummy funny, Baby? Do you looove him?" The child snuggled embarrassedly into his arms, clutching at his t shirt with tiny fists but said nothing for a while. Naruto tightened his arms around her and she '_eep_'ed before :

"Ne, Daddy you love Papa right? Does Papa make your tummy funny? Are you Papa-intolerant?"

Naruto pulled up, watching the girl before him for a moment as she looked up at him, blush fading and eyes big and curious. He then rubbed his nose against Natsuki's, finishing by pressing a kiss to her forehead. He huffed a quiet laugh.

"Yes, Bub, Papa does make my tummy funny."

"All the time? Because Ryo makes my tummy funny all the time."

"Yes, all the time."

Father and daughter exchanged wide smiles and then bubbly bursts of laughter.

"Well then, shall we get you off to school to see this Ryo kun then?"

Natsuki shuffled her feet and then smiled a much shyer smile.

"'Kay."


	10. Chapter 10

**Lovely #10**

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**.**

"Papa."

"Hmm?"

"I'm getting married."

Sasuke's eyes widened and began to tear as he choked on the dark liquid in his bright orange mug, setting the ceramic ware down carefully before leaning against the table on propped elbow. He coughed harshly and swallowed before staring incredulously over at his daughter who had ignored his strife and continued to swirl her Lucky Charms around with her spoon.

"You most certainly are _not_."

"Yes, Papa, I am." She met his eyes and said it with such conviction that Sasuke was momentarily stunned by her bravado. Natsuki sat forward, putting down the spoon before interlacing her tiny, chubby fingers in front of her. "His name is Ryo and we have been in love for a long time."

Sasuke merely raised an eyebrow. "And how long is a long time?"

A twitch of a smirk alighted her face. "Two weeks!" she chirped proudly, and displayed two fingers in the air. A serious press of her lips lit up her face as she continued, "I am going to need a wedding dress and a crown."

"-You mean, a veil-"

"-No, Papa. A crown. _Geez_." She rolled her big eyes as Sasuke's own flitted back and forth trying to reason with her.

Brushing fingers through his hair, he said, "Well, it's not like I doubt... _your_ sincerity, darling, but how do you know he really, ah... loves you too? I mean, marriage is a big step."

She sighed before leaning her chubby cheek against a palm, propped against the table, Lucky Charms forgotten as if she realized it would be difficult to get the older man to accept her groom of choice.

'_Obviously_, it's because he looks at me the same way you look at Daddy." Sasuke merely blinked at her as she picked up the bowl, promptly gulped down the rest of the cereal and milk and hopped off the chair. "Now, I'm going to get ready for school."

She toddled out of the room, sideswiping the door jamb as Sasuke's blond-haired boyfriend came through the door, ruffling Natsuki's brown curls lightly and chuckling as he made his way over to envelope Sasuke in his normal morning glomps.

"Good morning, my dear~" he chirped and pressed a kiss to Sasuke's temple before pulling back, noticing the shock on the others' face. "What's up?"

Sasuke shook his head incredulously and squeezed the bridge of his nose. Leaning back in the chair, he muttered, "Our six-year-old is getting married to some kid who makes googly eyes at her on the playground."

Naruto wiggled his way in between Sasuke's bent knees and the table, leaning back casually against it and causing the wrinkles in his "JUST DO IT!" t-shirt to stand out. Letting out a small chuckle, he said, "Oh, Ryo? What's wrong with that? He's a nice kid- always waits with Natsu when we come late." When Sasuke let out a miffed sound, Naruto faked a shocked expression, pressing a hand up against his chest. "You mean you wouldn't allow such a gentleman our beloved's hand in marriage?!"

At that, Sasuke leveled Naruto with a flat glare, tugging lightly at the edge of his shirt. "Of course not. She's _six_."

Naruto rolled his eyes but pressed forward.

"Daughter complex."

"Please... It's not that complicated."

"All right, stingy then."

A low growl was emitted between Sasuke's thin lips as Naruto shuffled forward more to straddle his lap, wrapping tanned arms around the other's neck and bringing his lips to Sasuke's ear. Whispering conspiratorially, he said, "Natsuki's gonna be busy for at least another 15 minutes doing her hair. How about I give you something to _really_ make googly eyes about?"

Needless to say, the prospect of walking his daughter down the aisle quickly vacated the pale man's mind.


	11. Chapter 11

**Lovely #11 [The Early Years]**

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In middle school, Sasuke played baseball. And he loved it. In particular he loved catching. Swinging the bat was all well and good but it seemed like any decent sized young man could swing and hit. He was aware that some people, the clean up batters with the important jobs, put a lot of effort and skill into their swing, but Sasuke didn't have that sort of job so he just did what was required of him. Swing, make contact, wait on the ball, lay down a bunt, squeeze, hold, strike out, advance the runner.

Whatever.

But catching was so… different. Honestly, it was the power he held that got him. As catcher he got to call the way the pitcher pitched. It was tactical, exercised his brain. And he was good at it. He hardly ever took signs from the coach in the dugouts. He loved the even rhythm of the ball colliding heavily with his mitt as he struck player after player out.

It may have sounded weird for someone like Uchiha Sasuke, but it gave him shivers when he was catcher.

In middle school, that was why he loved baseball.

When he came to highschool, Sasuke obviously signed up for the baseball team. He raised his hand with a polite "yes, I am" when the coach called for a catcher and was pleased when no one else raised their hand. The job was easily his. And then the pitchers had raised their hands. A few with wobbly "kind of"s and "I've never pitched a game"s. And then:

"Yeah me! I'm a real good pitcher! I'll do it! I was the ace at my middle school!"

The others had lowered their hands and, having obviously witnessed the boy's pitching either on their own middle school team or at games, agreed this boy, 'Uzumaki Naruto', should pitch.

When they began testing out everyone's positions, Sasuke decided he hated this boy. His pitches were too fast, too hard and they snapped right past Sasuke's mitt and hit him square in the chest making him double over, eyes watering, muscles spasming.

_"__Too fast for ya?! Sorry about that, Princess!"_

He hated him. He hated that reckless pitcher. Uzumaki Naruto.

And then one day, he didn't.

The Uchiha didn't know when it happened. Was it when Shikamaru had grumbled out to him "this noisy guy is gonna sit with us at lunch" and the pitcher had joined them on the roof, suddenly loud and joking? Was it when Sasuke had thrown him against the locker room wall, demanding the boy stop throwing such wild pitches and Naruto had held his hands up and agreed with a shaky nod and apology? Or when he'd first shown Sasuke an honest smile when the raven turned to him in the showers as Naruto swiped at a runaway soap sud between the other's shoulder blades?

He didn't know. But _at some point_ Sasuke had realized that whenever Naruto came to pick him up to walk to school together with him, whenever a pitch went just the way they wanted and they exchanged satisfied grins, whenever Naruto looked his way and smiled that smile, laughed, snorted, spat milk, ate as he spoke, Sasuke's heart began to beat fast. Any little thing.

When Naruto; straight as an arrow, skirt-flipping, chest- leering, "girls are so sweet" Naruto, snuggled up to his 'best friend' Sasuke in the cold weather, hands sneakily trying to slip into the warmth of Sasuke's coat pockets, Sasuke's cheeks flushed. He tripped over garbled insults and Naruto just laughed and called him a 'strange guy'.

He hated it.

Because Naruto was straight and Sasuke had known for a while now that he was anything but.

Because when they hung out they watched baseball games together and played catch. They went shopping and ate meals together but somewhere there was always a baseball comment, the underlying knowledge that all their relationship really was was pitcher and catcher. And Sasuke couldn't ignore it. Because as much as he thought it was _so stupid_ to fall for someone so infuriatingly dumb, so idiotic…

He couldn't help it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Lovely #12 [The Early Years]**

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Naruto couldn't quite believe what he was seeing. He hadn't seen this kind of scene before in… Well, since…

The coach was on his knees next to the team's catcher and the third baseman junior Kiba was shaking Naruto's shoulder as he stood, dead still. Shock.

"Oi! Naruto sempai! Sasuke sempai is-"

"I-I know."

Even if it had been a while he still knew this scene; Sasuke curled in over himself on his knees, the curve of his back heaving in short shallow breaths, tiny noises through grit teeth coming unusually loud through the hot, dusty air.

The times before, Naruto had never stood like this, all still and wide eyes. The other times he'd arrogantly picked at the loose leather of his practice mitt while the rest of the team gathered around Sasuke, placing careful hands on his trembling back, hauling him backwards and laying him out, gently removing his gear and checking for broken bones, icing surfacing bruises. Because a fastball like Naruto's to the body could be damaging even with the equipment on.

"_I told you they'd be coming in hard and fast, didn't I, Uchiha? If you can't even handle that…"_

At that time he hadn't really cared about the hard _thwack _of baseball on heavy protection gear or the loud, pained noise the catcher had made when it connected with him. It was the other boy's _job_ to catch what Naruto threw after all.

But this time.

Sasuke was getting to his feet unsteadily and waving off the others but when he lifted his teary eyes to meet Naruto standing dumbstruck on the mound, the blonde could feel it, almost _hear _it. Sasuke's anger. This shouldn't have happened after so long together. And this time it wasn't that Sasuke couldn't take Naruto's pitches. It was undeniably the fault of the pitcher. They both knew it.

…

"Sasuke lift your arm, Bub, your shirt is catching on your elbow."

One day later, Sasuke lifted his arm obediently and Naruto, sitting slightly out from where Mikoto was tending to her son in his bed, flinched as Sasuke hissed lowly at the movement. The blue button up shirt Sasuke had been wearing slid easily off his arm and the Uchiha mother gathered it up before pulling out a tube that any baseball player recognized as arnica, from her apron pocket. She set it on top of Sasuke's covered legs.

"Put more of that on, it'll help," she said to Sasuke before smiling once at Naruto and making her way out of her son's room. She didn't seem too concerned about Sasuke. Naruto guessed she had a lot of experience with this kind of injury from early last season…

She left the two boys in tight silence, the blonde in his school uniform, bag at his feet and Sasuke covered to the waist with his light sheet, and shirtless.

The left side of his pale exposed chest and the top of his ribcage was bruised a nasty blue-purple colour. Naruto drew a long breath through his nose. Sasuke didn't look to him and Naruto recalled vaguely that the last time he'd hit Sasuke during practice the other had thrown Naruto against the wall of the locker room.

Of course this time it really had been an accident he regretted. Naruto had even waited with Sasuke for Mikoto to come pick up her son, but he could understand why Sasuke was angry.

"Maa," began Naruto nervously, picking up his right hand from his lap and running his left hand fingers over the calluses there. "I'm real sorry Sasuke, I was throwing a fastball and ya know it was really hot and my hand just sort of…" He moved his hand into the fastball grip and stared down at it. His wrist protested a bit at the action; he'd strained it when the pitch had gone rogue and hit Sasuke…

"The ball slipped out, my fingers came off it weird with the sweat…"

"It wasn't sweat, Naruto," said Sasuke suddenly making Naruto's head shoot up to watch the raven as he finally spoke.

"What… do you mean?"

A sigh.

"What I mean is that you came late to practice and jumped right in with us without warming up. Your damn fingers weren't ready! That ball shouldn't have hit me, I'm your catcher remember, I know how you pitch and you should know too; how poorly you threw because you were too hasty to join us!" Sasuke's dark eyes moved to meet startled blues and Naruto noted the tiny bumps of anger flanking the pale boy's nose.

"Idiot," he snapped without breaking eye contact. Naruto swallowed thickly and after a moment of glaring, Sasuke eased off and sighed again. More silence before:

"But you always warm me up and do stretches with me, and you were already out there…" muttered Naruto, his fingers massaging into the heel of his palm and straightening out his fingers, rolling his wrist a little; the way Sasuke normally did and had done for him before all practices and games.

"It's stuff you should learn to do yourself, Naruto. If you ask Coach he'll show you how to do it and then I won't have to. I do it because it's my job to look after my pitcher, not because I like to."

Sasuke was gingerly rubbing arnica into his side, right arm reached over his chest to do it, unable to maneuver the left one in a way that didn't pull at his sore flesh. He yelped quietly as his finger slipped uncoordinatedly and pressed too hard into the deep purple, round print left behind by the ball. Naruto started and shifted in his chair.

"I can—"

"This is something I can do myself," interrupted Sasuke and looking into the raven's serious, almost-concealed-pain riddled face Naruto felt anger flare in his chest.

'_Something he can do himself huh?' _

He said that but Naruto remembered how Sasuke would bring him the giant tube they kept at the grounds and ask him to put it on the day's bruises for him. The way they all did it for each other; the whole team. The smiles and laughter as they sat in a long line along the benches after practice with Naruto, who had a hard body that didn't bruise easily, sitting in the back. And now Sasuke was here saying he didn't need help for something as serious as this when he always wanted help for the smaller injuries.

"So what, you're only nice to us—to _me_ because it works for the team?! You don't need us when it comes to things that really you can 'do yourself'? Only participate when it suits?!" growled Naruto, standing and towering over Sasuke who didn't look up, concentrated stare focused on his fingers slowing twisting the cap of the cream back on.

"You only look after me because I'm the pitcher?! Because it's convenient?!" Naruto tried to keep his voice down, not wanting to worry Sasuke's mother but it was becoming harder to control himself as Sasuke continued to avoid his gaze.

"Sitting together at lunch with me and the others, do you just do that because we're in baseball club together?! When I come to school on cold days, the reason you have extra gloves for me really is because you're only worried about what it means for games if I hurt my numb fingers?! You invite me here to hang out because having a friendly relationship with me makes it easier for you as a catcher?! You don't like me at all?! You—!"

"SHUT UP!"

Naruto stopped in his tracks and quickly reverted back to concern as Sasuke bit his lip against the pain that filling his lungs to shut the blonde up had provoked. His bruised side heaved up and down for a while, air passing tightly through Sasuke's clenched teeth and again Naruto found himself staring, unable to speak, at Sasuke. Getting so worked up, the blonde was trembling with anger and tears itching at the corner of his vision as uncertainty and guilt swirled at the base of his throat. His knees felt oddly weak, his vision unusually sharp. Though forever the palest person Naruto had ever met, Sasuke's t shirt tan was defined and annoyingly distracting. Naruto blinked twice and licked sweat off his upper lip. It was hot but he didn't know if that was due to the weather or the fact that he was panicking a little.

All this time he'd honestly considered Sasuke a friend, even though they fought on the mound, even though Sasuke smacked him when he was being stupid, they sat together at lunch, they walked to school together, went shopping together, went to get their baseball uniforms fitted together. And now was Sasuke saying that had all been nothing?

"Shut up," breathed Sasuke softly even though Naruto hadn't spoken since.

"Sasuke, I…"

"It's not that I don't like you."

"Eh-? Wha…?" Sasuke was gripping the bed sheet in fisted hands and now Naruto was confused. The other boy no longer looked angry. With his head bowed and eyes hidden away in thick bangs he looked… upset. Naruto sat back down slowly. When Sasuke spoke the blonde could have sworn he heard that deep voice that was always so confident and level, shake.

"It's just when you pitched that fastball, when it hit me… I remembered what you were like when we first met. When I got hit all those times … Your fastball was the first one that hit me… And I realized that you're still a pitcher and even though we hang out and we're _friends,_ we should really have-"

"Sasuke, you're not making much sense, if you don't hate me then why are you so-"

"My 'like' is different to yours!" exploded Sasuke, making Naruto sit straight up in his chair. "Our relationship _should _just be club related but I, with you… The others I like too but you… You get so _close _to me and…" The raven trailed off with Naruto's stunned, wide stare boring holes in the side of Sasuke's head.

"When you hit me I realized that ultimately, you are just a pitcher and I'm just a catcher. We hang out and I start feeling like we're more than that, but we're not," finished Sasuke more clearly. Naruto licked his lips again. Silence enveloped them while Naruto tried to get his head around what Sasuke was trying to say and the other turned away tensely to look out the window. The sound of cicadas outside in the heat faded in to keep the gap between words company.

"So… are we friends then?" Naruto saw Sasuke jump when he spoke up again. "Because it seems like you like being friendly with me but you think I don't feel the same way or something, even when I just yelled at you about not caring about me... I mean,_ I_ think we're friends." Unable to gather more than that and thoroughly confused by Sasuke's behavior, Naruto stopped there, leaving open room for Sasuke to reply which he didn't for a long while, still grappling at his sheets.

"Didn't you hear me? I said my 'like' is different." His voice was breathy.

"…A 'like' like you want to be friends but don't know if it's okay to when the base of our relationship is catching and pitching?"

Sasuke laughed in a way that sounded very sad to the blonde sitting at his bedside.

"You really are an idiot."

"Hey!"

"I mean I like you."

"I like you too."

"No! I like _like _you!"

This time Naruto didn't retaliate. Sasuke was looking out the window again.

"Sasuke… Are you gay?"

"Naruto…"

"Are you?" One of Sasuke's habitual sighs slipped his lips despite the situation. Naruto shifted nervously, the thought that Sasuke might actually be really sensitive about this striking him.

"I mean, it's okay if you are, Sasuke. It just that you like boys, no big deal. Kiba told me the other day that he has this thing for teachers! It's the same, I don't judge! Honest!"

Sasuke's shoulders quirked in a way that Naruto recognized as irritation.

"I like you," he called in a voice that didn't match his annoyed body language, without looking around.

"Yeah… I heard."

"I'm sorry. For liking you." The words came cold and flat but Sasuke was finally lifting his face and turning to Naruto. He was trying to smirk like he always did but his eyes were glossy and his pale cheeks dappled red. The line of his bare shoulders shivered against the vivid blue backdrop of the sky through the window.

It was kind of terrible.

"It's stupid right? When you're just my pitcher. When I'm a guy." Sasuke turned his body toward Naruto, facing him more and opening his body language to the blonde, shoulders sagging. He looked so defeated.

"It's… not stupid," replied Naruto and Sasuke instantly scowled and hunched his shoulders, closing himself just as quickly as he'd opened.

"Of course it's stupid, you idiot! Even if you _'don't judge'_, it's different when it concerns you, right?! This is what I'm talking about! When we should just be pitcher and catcher-! I got too close to you and now _this _happened! I thought it was okay, I thought I could write it off as friendship but then you hit me like you did when we were first years and made me remember nothing had changed and there was no way that you could-! That I actually-!"

Hot tears spilled from Sasuke's eyes but he dashed them away angrily, hiding his face in his arm as he did. Naruto's palms were uncomfortably warm and he didn't know what to do. Sasuke was someone who, as much as he liked to tease and poke at, Naruto respected and seeing him cry was something very hard to handle. When they lost games he never cried. He'd only ever been wet around the eyes when Naruto hit him with baseballs. Though Sasuke was bigger than Naruto, he looked small as he tried to get a grip.

It was unsettling.

"Naa, Sasuke, don't be so upset, you didn't even ask if I'm gay yet," muttered Naruto, listening to his voice crack, watching in strange wonder as his arm moved in his own and his fingers gripped Sasuke's wrist, pulling it away from his face. He didn't really know what he was doing but Sasuke crying was so…

"What are you talking about; I've seen you leering at girls, Naruto. You're not gay," snapped Sasuke, trying to wrench his hand away but Naruto held on before looking left and right anxiously and tightening his grip. He felt blood rushing to his face as he opened his mouth.

"Yeah, I know, girls are cute but I… I-I might be… gay. I might be, if it's Sasuke. I could be Sasuke-sexual? Would that work?"

Sasuke was staring at him much the same way Naruto had when he'd hit Sasuke the day before; wide eyes and jaw dropped.

"You… like me?" he asked quietly. At this, Naruto's blush exploded all over his face and he dragged his hand back and covered his face with it while the other, palm open and fingers splayed, made jerky shaking motions at Sasuke.

"That's not it! Ah well it kinda is but-! I mean! I…" As Naruto babbled he peered through a gap in his fingers to peek at Sasuke and was knocked breathless by the other, word vomit coming to a stop. Sasuke looked so weirdly normal sitting there with his bare, bruised body and honest, tear stained expression. Such a stark contrast to the high and mighty bastard Naruto was used to. And somewhere inside, the blonde felt a fluttering at the knowledge that he had drawn that out of the stoic Uchiha.

'_Tchhhh! There's no way I can refuse you when you look like that, Teme!'_

"What I mean is-" Naruto flopped forward onto Sasuke's legs and buried his face in his arms, knowing full well that the catcher could still see the red tips of his ears. He groaned loudly, feeling Sasuke's nervous hands holding the air around his head and wished the bastard would hurry up and touch him, make him feel like he was saying the right thing. But of course Sasuke was nervous too. No matter how much of a super human catcher he was; able to take Naruto's deathly pitches; no matter how unaffected he seemed by everything… He really was just an ordinary teenage boy too. And he'd clearly had a much harder time with this than Naruto.

'_Gotta man up.'_

"I… I want to try being Sasuke-sexual. If it's Sasuke, I think I could do it. I don't want you to be… upset over me anymore, ya know?" Naruto mumbled before burrowing further into his arms even though it was hard to breathe in such a confined space with the heat.

"And," he started nervously before turning his head out and looking up to Sasuke who was looking down on where Naruto lay on his legs, hands fallen flat by his sides. The surprised but no longer sad look on the raven's face was enough to give Naruto his confidence back. He grinned a little. "I don't want my catcher to be freakin' out and then babble out shit that doesn't make any sense while his face is all messy and teary." Sasuke frowned embarrassedly and pulled Naruto's hair harshly, making the other boy laugh loudly. "It's bad for the team, ya know."

"Is that the reason?" asked Sasuke bluntly and Naruto smiled at the way his usual unimpressed tone resurfaced.

"W-well, you are sort of…" The blonde's heart began to beat a little bit fast, a loud _doki doki _ filling his ears. But he wouldn't lose here. "Y-you're pretty cute I guess. For a dude." The blonde pulled a playful face. "Uwah, that was so weird! I'm gonna have to work on that."

He half expected Sasuke to huff his little snort of a laugh but it seemed the Uchiha was still a bit shaky and replied only with:

"On liking me verbally?"

"Yeah, that."

"Are you sure you can do it at all? Liking me…"

"Is that a challenge?" Naruto smiled but Sasuke was still tense.

"It's not a challenge."

Naruto took a moment to examine Sasuke's face, admiring the small traces of either shy or humiliated blush that lingered behind his smooth, pale skin.

"I have honestly always thought you were different though, ya know, Sasuke. You're really cute," murmured Naruto into the thick air.

When Sasuke parted soft, pink lips Naruto's gaze traced the line of perfect teeth and the tiny quirk of the other's lips.

"That's my line, Dobe." Again the feeling of blood rushing hot and fast to Naruto's face.

"E-eh?! Don't say stuff like that so easily, Teme! You haven't been making sense all this time and now you can say something like that so clearly?! What the hell!? You-! You-!"

"Hn. Moron."


	13. Chapter 13

**Lovely #13**

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For the past ten minutes, Uchiha Sasuke had been leaning against the hood of his car, completely alone in the car park. He'd been cleaning the lenses of his sunglasses with the hem of his t shirt, humming softly to himself when suddenly he became very aware of the presence of another person. He'd been too lost in his own thoughts to even notice the growl of her car pulling up alongside his but when he looked up, there was a woman standing in front of her own car.

She wasn't looking at him but as he slowly lowered his gaze, he began to feel her sneaking peeks at him.

It wasn't unusual. Actually, Sasuke was rather used to young women staring at him. It had happened all through middle school and then throughout high school, even after he and Naruto had gotten together. Naruto liked to joke about it but it irritated Sasuke. But then his annoyed, serious face seemed to encourage women even more.

However this woman didn't feel quite the same. She was stealing glances at him but it didn't seem the same as it usually was. Sasuke raised his eyes once more, just in time to catch her own gaze on him. He quirked an eyebrow and the woman laughed nervously, shuffling around to face him and the raven tried not to sigh, a little angry at himself that he'd given her the prompt for conversation.

"Ahaha, I'm sorry to stare at you like that, it's just... Have we met before?"

Sasuke set his teeth.

_'__Really, that's what you've got? Sorry lady, I don't swing that way.'_

"No, I'm quite sure we haven't," the man replied, turning away discreetly. But the woman was still watching and after a minute he heard her make a small '_eh_-' sound before:

"Are you perhaps… Natsuki chan's father—well, one of her fathers?"

Ah- she wasn't after him if she knew that much. But Sasuke immediately tensed. The woman's tone seemed pleasant enough however Sasuke had struck this kind of thing before.

_'__Are you and him gay?'_

Lulled into a false sense of security by a neutral sounding question.

_'__Oh, um, we're together, yes'_

_'__That's disgusting!' _

But the question involved his daughter and there was no way he could answer anything other than yes, he was her father.

Sasuke spoke slowly.

"And if I am?" He eyed the woman, body language still loose but eyes hard and guarded. He watched her shoulders twitch upwards in surprise, hands coming up to wave at him as she realized her mistake.

"Ah- no, no. I didn't mean to sound strange." She smiled tightly, clearly finding conversing with the Uchiha much more difficult than expected, but pressed onward. "Um, I'm Shizune, Ryo's aunt. He lives with me. I'm sure he's said something about me, ne? I've waited to pick him up outside your house once or twice before." Shizune smiled more easily, opening her palms to him. Sasuke ran his tongue over his teeth as he unclenched his jaw, relaxing a little but now concerned not with this woman's opinion, but with the fact that she was closely connected to that little brat who seemed to be hanging around with his daughter more and more these days.

"Really, is that so? How is Ryo… kun?" Sasuke tagged the honorific on politely.

"He's good; he seems very happy at school and is especially happy about being friends with your daughter. He's always raving about her and I've always wanted to meet her parents—ah, fathers—because she's such a sweetheart, you know? Maa, he talks about you and your… about Uzumaki san aswell."

Sasuke turned the corners of his pressed lips down.

"What did he say?" He knew it sounded blunt. But he couldn't help it when it came to matters concerning Ryo. He had to be on his toes around the boy. Sasuke wouldn't have him wriggling his way into wherever he wanted with sweet words and stupid grins. He had to find out what he'd been saying before Ryo told Naruto to his face. If that happened Sasuke would never escape the 'he's such a nice boy!'s and 'Ne, ne, Sasuke! Listen to what Ryo said to me today! I hope he and Natsu really do get married!'s from Naruto.

The thought alone was almost more than he could handle.

Shizune looked a little put off by Sasuke's short manner but continued regardless.

"Ah… He seems very fond of you, I think."

_'__Fond?!' _

The woman's eyes softened and she looked to where her hand rested atop the bonnet of her car.

"He doesn't have that male figure in his life, you know. So I think you've been really good for him. Uzumaki san too. He likes him a lot." A laugh and dark eyes back to Sasuke, smile in place. "He calls him 'Naru san' you know. It's very sweet. He says Naru san's cooking is messy but yummy and 'Sasuke san' looks after both him and Natsuki chan, sewing up their rips and things like that."

Shizune chuckled again and then continued. "Anyway, I'm happy Ryo has this kind of interaction with the two of you as well as playtime with Natsuki chan. Thank you for taking care of him."

The woman bowed a little and Sasuke just stood speechless. Horrified.

The Uchiha couldn't understand it. Actually that wasn't entirely true, he understood how Ryo could talk so fondly of Naruto, everyone liked Naruto, but about _Sasuke_?

He could just imagine the kid's face as he told a curious Shizune all about 'Naru san' who did the cooking and 'Sasuke san' who could sew up rips.

_'__Guuuuh! Pisses me off!'_

Every time Ryo was at their house Sasuke tried his very best not to show the boy any of the softness that Naruto and Natsuki could bring out of him; always cold and quiet, staring down on the boy when they passed each other, sometimes scowling a little. He'd used this technique on the odd girl who he caught chasing Naruto with their eyes in the school hallways and it had always scared them off.

Even when he was fixing the strap on Ryo's shoe (at Natsuki's command), even when he was handing the two little juice boxes and sandwiches, Sasuke had always sniffed disapprovingly at the boy, wrinkling his nose.

Apparently it hadn't had much effect.

Or maybe he was losing his touch…

As Sasuke considered this, the school bell rang and the grounds were soon full of small, squishy bodies all hurrying toward the car park or front gate. Both Shizune and Sasuke stood up a little straighter, eyes searching for their respective child although Sasuke had a terrible feeling they'd both end up looking in the same direction. Shizune found them first and pointed Natsuki and Ryo out to Sasuke with a smile while the man beside her furrowed his brows at the sight of his daughter and the brat coming down the stairs from the office together.

"Ah- Isn't that cute?" murmured Shizune as Ryo stepped onto the next step and then reached a hand back up to Natsuki above him, his free hand pressed to his chest in a princely manner. Even at a distance, Sasuke could see Natsuki's lips part to burble some precious sweet nothing as she lay her hand in Ryo's and allowed him to guide her down the stairs, although by the time they reached the bottom they had slipped from a prince helping his princess down the staircase, back to two excitable children, now clasping hands tightly between them and jumping to the ground from the last step, giggling wildly.

The hand holding lasted all the way to the car park once the children spotted Shizune and Sasuke and came rushing over.

"Heya, Papa!" greeted Natsuki breathlessly and Sasuke smiled easily, reaching to lift her bag from her small shoulders, effectively getting Ryo to part ways with Natsuki's hand to get the straps off.

"Hey Bub, good day?"

"Mhmmm~"

"Hello, Sasuke san!" Ryo, who was handing his own bag to his aunt, smiled pleasantly up at the Uchiha, his little face flushed and dark eyes bright and shiny.

Sasuke said nothing. His brow knitted tightly together and he clenched his jaw as he glared down at the boy. Ryo's smile wavered and eventually fell to a look of what Sasuke thought could be confusion.

"Sasuke san, thats—" he began.

"Let's go, Natsuki. Goodbye, Shizune san. It was nice meeting you," said Sasuke abruptly, grabbing his daughter's hand and leading her around to the back seat, tossing her bag inside. He didn't glance up as Shizune and Ryo both called their goodbyes, and climbed into the car.

"Bye Ryo! Bye Shizune san!" called Natsuki, rolling down her window. Sasuke started up the car, moving it into gear. As he twisted around to back the car out of the car park, he caught sight of Ryo's face again and nearly slipped his foot off of the pedal.

The brat was positively beaming at the car, waving so enthusiastically his whole body moved with the arm movement and Sasuke wasn't sure what he hated the idea of more: that smile, so huge and blinding, being directed toward his precious daughter… or him.

Ryo turned to look at Shizune, telling her something, still grinning, and Sasuke was sure he heard the woman reply with something like, "So cool and manly is he? Well, he is a man so that's to be expected, ne?"

Long, pale fingers tightened dangerously around the steering wheel as they drove out of the school. Teeth grit.

Sasuke couldn't stand it. _Any of it!_ Not Ryo and Natsuki, not the ineffectiveness of his cold behaviour toward Ryo, not Ryo being 'fond' of him when he so _loathed _the boy.

_Apparently it hadn't had much effect… _

An almost defeated smile curled about Sasuke's lips as he sighed heavily. Natsuki made a curious little noise that he ignored.

How much could you do to drive a child away? He didn't know. Didn't know anything about children aside from Natsuki. All he knew was that there was no way he ever wanted to be apart from her.

_'__How do I protect Natsuki from that boy without coming off as a jerk who picks on kids…'_

"Ne, Papa, can Ryo come and play tomorrow?"

"No."

"Please, Papa? Love you forever, Papa, loooove yoooooooou lots!"

_'__Damnit.'_

"Guuuuuh…Okay."


End file.
